When communicating with people of another culture, it is important to be aware of the person’s level of active participation in a conversation. In some cultures, highly active participation is the norm, while other cultures dictate a more passive involvement.
The exchange between people engaged in communication demonstrates conversational involvement. In any culture, a message must have both a sender and a receiver. In cultures with high conversational involvement, the receiver would send verbal and nonverbal cues, such as eye contact, nodding, and interjections, such as "I’m listening" or "Tell me more." In cultures with low conversational involvement, receivers would adopt a passive posture, perhaps staring at the ground with hunched shoulders, and would simply absorb the message without offering cues on whether they are listening or not.
In this course you will learn to: identify the differences in verbal communication across cultures, and improve your nonverbal communication skills by understanding the differences in gestures and expressions that vary across cultures.
This Instructor's Edition of this course includes notes and suggestions to assist you in presenting the material, whether in an in-person classroom setting, or as an instructor-led online or distance-learning course. It also provides you with the answers to questions found in mid-lesson activities, as well as in the quiz that concludes the course.